The morning news. [volume] (Savannah, Ga.) 1887-1900, 1887-11-13
sHRRwp BUSINESS WOMEN.
A Novel Scheme for Making Money
Rapidly.

Il @HRN VA A%lCAAaS AOl AsAdNll4G AASiAGy
Rapidly.
New YoRK, Nov. l2-There are many
instances Of the success of women in almost
every line OF business. but the rule still
maintains that as class they are paid less
than men for the same kind of work An
instance Of unusual feminine sagacity and
genuine business spirit has just come under
my notice / had occasion TO seek for the
services of a stenographer and typewriter,
and in response to my advertisement there
were numerous applications both of men
and women expe Is. Among the answers
was letter from concern that
offered 10 furnish stenographers and
guaranteed and no commission charged
the employer for procuring him the service.
1t struck me as rather novel that concern
should so put itself out to favor an entire
stranger. and made slight investigation
to see what its resources were from which
il derived its income. ] found that the
latter came from a partnership of two
women, who were engaged in conducting
school for typewriting and shorthand In the
very heart Of the city. Their pupils were
restricted to young women. To my aston
ishment | found that even the instruction
was given free to the fair applicants.
"How, them | asked, do you derive
enough from your business TO pay even for
the rent of your Officer
There was no particular hesitation in
making the reply. 1t was to the effect that
every pupil of the school who secured po-
sition through the efforts of ITS managers
turned over to the managers the whole Of
her first weeks salary. OF course, it would
have been a rank impertinence to have
asked how many pupils were thus supplied,
for that would at once have given away
very nearly the sum total of the business
done by the concern. But j continued my
inquiries quietly among certain of the
pupils. and found that not only did they
have 10 give up the first weeks salary that
they received under employment, but that
somehow or other they were
constantly losing their places
and getting new ones, and that when
ever Juey received new employment, the
first weeks salary in that case was also sur
rendered. Here was q scheme worthy the
invention of the keenest male intellect.
Although on the surface il does not appear
to be particularly outrageous, nevertheless
it is, as conducted. a serious drain upon the
resources of the young women who are en-
deavoring to earn their own Hvings by
stenograpby and typewriting. The secret of
their frequent loss of position is clear. The
managers of the institution supply, we
will say, lawyer with a young
lady typewriter; she proves 70 be excel
lent at her work, and gets from IS to SIS a
week, although the latter figure is very
rare, and | found that some girls get as low
as IS. After the young lady has worked
satisfactorily in her position for n few
weeks tine manager Of the institution calls
upon the lawyer anu makes inquiries as to
the success Of her pupil. Whatever the re-
ply. she says: II have at present in my
school pupil who is just as expert as this
lady, and who is willing 10 work for con
sidefably less, and ] can secure q position
for the pupil that you now have and viii do
80. / only want TO give you good expert
work for less than you are now paying"
she lawyer, OF course is delighted at the
prospect and readily consents 10 the change
The change is made, new pupil arrives,
who NAV not come from the school, direct
ly, but from some other Office, and the girl
who loses her position after possibly a few
DAYS or even week or two Of waiting, is
transferred TO another Office. Gases are not
at all rare where girls have paid in TO the
partnership referred to $40 to $50 in the
course of nine months. There is no COM
ment needed upon this system of conducting
business. The girls with few exceptions
are afraid to assert an independent spirit,
as men might under similar circumstances,
and are ablectly Slavish to the demands of
their ''land" instructors.
f. r. BURTON.